All of Your Grace (Part 1)

I wanted to write something short and simple for Mother’s Day… but instead I end up writing this. What the hell. Don’t ask me where this came from because I don’t even know.

Summary: Where Kon’s a single dad, raising a kid. But all his daughter wants is for her dad to meet someone special, like say… her new kindergarten teacher Tim Drake.

“Daddy. Daddy. Daaaaaddy,” said an insistent voice in his ear. “Daddy, get up now.”

When Kon peaked open one eye, he was greeted by a pair of bright blue eyes—eyes much like his own—short, blonde hair that was held back by a pink ribbon and a petulant little pout that said Kon was not being cooperative. He then noticed the state of her attire: a white dress with floral patterns along the hem, and a pink, cotton sweater; he also belatedly noticed the mini Hello Kitty backpack strapped around both her arms.

“Grace?” Kon mumbled, slightly more awake now.

“Daddy, you were supposed to be up half an hour ago,” she scolded, crossing her arms over her chest. The sad part was that this would not be the first time he’d been subjected to that look. “I have to go to school, remember?”

And suddenly, Kon was wide awake, sitting up in the covers as if the mattress had electrified him.

“Oh no, school!” said Kon, slapping a hand over his face. He’d forgotten. He glanced at his alarm, where it blinked 8:10 in accusing red light. Next to it was the reminder Grace had given him the night before: “Daddy, don’t forget to wake up early! Love, Grace” it said in her usual, loopy scrawl; the trademark little sunflower she drew with a smiley face was just beside her name.

“Shit! We’re gonna be late!” said Kon, already scrambling for a pair of clean pants and shirt.

“Daddy, you said the ‘S’ word,” said Grace reproachfully.

And sadly, that wouldn’t be the first time she scolded him for that too.

“Sorry, baby,” he said, a tad distracted. He fumbled for his underwear and some socks in his drawers. “Did you have breakfast yet? What about Krypto? Did you feed him?”

“Yes and yes,” she said, following him around the room. “I made myself cereal. Yours is on the table too. And I let Krypto out.”

“Thanks, Gracie,” he said as he looked around the room for his towel. “Uhh…”

“It’s on the rack, Daddy,” said Grace, pointing behind him.

“Right,” Kon mumbled, giving her a crooked smile. “Give me a moment. I’ll be out before you know it!”

******

As it turns out, ten minutes was also synonymous for fifteen minutes, so by the time Kon was out of the house, bits of cereal still in his mouth and his shirt tail hanging loose from his jeans and backing out of the driveway, it was already 8:25.

Luckily the road to the kindergarten school was barely occupied and Kon could care less if he was pushing an extra twenty to the speed limit. When they reached the school—which wasn’t that big, considering they were in Smallville—up ahead, Kon was relieved to find that they were only late by a couple of minutes and that the other children were only beginning to assemble into the building.

“You’ve got everything you need for school, Gracie?” said Kon as he opened the car door to his daughter’s side and helped her out. “All your crayons? Notebooks?” He held her hand as they walked to the entrance. “Oh, what about Rufus?”

Rufus was Grace’s teddy bear, which she scarcely went anywhere without. Not during bath time or trips to the city or even during picnics at the farm—Rufus was nearly a constant companion as was Krypto.

“I got everything, Daddy,” Grace assured him, smiling. When she did that, she really reminded Kon of her mother, a sight that made Kon both happy and… sad. “And Rufus is in my backpack,” she said, and looking around she pulled Kon down as if to share a secret, “He wanted to see what school was like, so I brought him with me.”

Kon smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. “That’s good,” he said. “Tell Rufus to pay close attention to the teacher.”

Grace beamed. “I will!” she said.

They entered the building, where everything was brightly lit and colorful—from the walls, which were painted in yellow, and decorated with arts and crafts obviously made by previous students, to the cupboards with all the toys, and small tables which had sunflower-carved chairs set by each one. Along the door were the shelves meant for the children to place their things in, and across from that was a wide window open with green curtains, which revealed the playground just outside.

“Oh, hello,” said a voice by their side. It was a young woman with wavy, blonde hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in a purple shirt and dark pants; an I.D tag hanging around her neck. “You must be, Mr. Kent,” she addressed, holding out her hand to Kon. “I’m Stephanie Brown.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Kon, shaking her hand.

Stephanie finally turned to Grace and smiled. “Hello there. And you must be Grace, right?”

Grace looked uncharacteristically shy for once, and half-hid herself behind Kon; her hand still gripping his rather tightly. “Hi,” she mumbled.

“Hi, Grace. I’m your teacher. You can call me Ms. Brown,” she said, bending down to meet Grace at eye-level. “Grace, do you want to play with the other children? I’m sure they’d like to meet you.” She held out her hand to her.

Grace stared at the hand at first and then looked up at Kon, who was watching the whole exchange with a smile. She tugged on his hand which made Kon get down on his knees as well.

“What is it, sweetie?” he said in quiet voice, knowing Ms. Brown could still hear them, but had enough sense to pretend that she wasn’t and just kept smiling at them.

“I’m… scared,” Grace admitted in his ear. “Can I… can I just go home with you, Daddy?”

“If you want to,” said Kon easily, but then leaned in closer, “But you know… I bet Rufus was really looking forward to going to school with you today.”

Grace blinked. “Really?” she asked.

Kon nodded. “He wanted to learn everything you were going to learn, so that he could tell Ma and Pa all about it when we visit them this weekend.” Then he snickered. “But I think he just really wanted to play on the monkey-bars,” he added, pointing outside. “Now that looks like a lot of fun.”

Grace finally looked more determined. “Okay, I’ll stay, Daddy,” she said.

Kon smiled. “That’s my girl,” he said. “Now give me a big hug.” She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed so tight it was enough to make Kon wheeze, but all that did was make her hold longer. “Be a good girl and have fun, okay?”

Grace nodded as she pulled back.

“I’ll be here to pick you up,” said Kon and pecked her on the forehead. “Love you, Baby Cakes.”

“Love you too, Superboy,” she said, giggling. She hugged him one more time before she took Ms. Brown’s offered hand. As she was being led towards the other kids, Grace looked at Kon over her shoulder and waved; her smile wide and so very familiar.

Kon waved also, but the trip back to the truck had never felt more lonely in his life.

******

Kon was definitely going to be late for work. His boss was going to have his head or maybe just his job if he didn’t hurry. He pushed the gas pedal just tad harder, blurring past crop fields and empty road until he noticed something in the distance.

As he drew closer, he realized it was a car—a beautiful silver Corolla—that was parked alongside the road. The roof to the engine was propped open and a sizzle of smoke was rising from inside. Kon pulled to an immediate stop when he saw someone bent over it.

He opened the window. “Hey, you need a hand?” he asked.

The person startled and turned around, and Kon felt something in his gut spark alive when he got a better look at them.

It was a young man, probably in his mid-twenties or early thirties, who was, without a doubt, the handsomest looking stud within a ten mile radius to have ever grace this side of the planet. The man had dark, tousled hair which curled along his ears and his neck; a pair of dark, blue eyes, which Kon couldn’t help but look into and get lost in—and he was wearing a wine-red collared top, black pants and a matching vest; he even wore a tie—a sure enough sign that this man was not from around here.

“Oh, hey,” he said and Kon swore he had never been this drawn to a person’s voice before just by hearing it once. The man looked rather sheepish as he looked back at the car. “I think so.”

Kon glanced at his watch, where the minute hand was already hitting 9:00. But sure enough, just as soon as he looked at the other man again, Kon found himself putting the truck on standby and getting out.

“What seems to be the problem?” Kon asked, doing his absolute best not to openly stare at the man.

“I don’t know,” the man admitted, making room for Kon to get under the hood. “I was on my way to work when my engine started to make some funny noises. I made it about 200 miles before it stopped completely.”

“Here, let me check it out,” said Kon, rolling up his sleeves.

He felt totally inadequate just by standing beside this man, who was obviously from some big corporate company with the way he was dressed. Meanwhile Kon stood dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt—a combination that would not likely be gaining any impressive stares that was for sure.

He did his best to focus on the matter at hand here. “Oh I see your problem now,” said Kon.

“You do?” said the man, looking in close to see what it was; his shoulder bumped lightly against Kon’s and Kon felt something like lightning shoot up his spine, making him feel hot.

“Yeah, let me get my tool box in my truck,” he said, and was relieved to find some excuse to pull away.

When he came back, he noticed the guy was on his phone. He couldn’t catch everything, but he thought he heard the voice of a woman on the other end and briefly wondered if that was his wife. However, the man wasn’t wearing a ring on his left hand, so Kon thought perhaps maybe a girlfriend? And then he stopped wondering altogether because it was definitely none of his business who this man was talking to.

As soon as the man was done, he turned back to Kon, smiling again. Kon felt that same flutter in his belly and hoped to God he didn’t drop his tool box or say anything that’ll embarrass himself.

“Your engine cap is a little loose that’s all,” he said, keeping his voice even. He took out something from his tool box—he wasn’t sure what it was, maybe a wrench or a screwdriver—and began to work.

Not fifteen minutes later, he was closing the lid.

“Okay, try it out now,” he said as the man turned on the ignition. It flared instantly to life, the grumble of the engine sounding healthy again.

The man brightened. “Oh, thank you!” he said, stepping out of the car once more. “There must be something I can do to repay you—”

Give me your number and we’ll call it even, said the traitorous part of his mind, but Kon beat that comment back into oblivion.

“No need,” he said, smiling. “It was my pleasure.”

Seriously a pleasure. At this, Kon couldn’t help but look the man up and down one more time before giving himself a good mental kick in the behind.

The man frowned. “But,” he started, glancing at his car and then back at Kon. “I have to repay you somehow.”

A date sounds like a marvelous idea. Shut up, Kon told himself firmly.

“No, really, it’s fine,” he said.

“If you’re sure,” said the man, still looking uncertain. But then he extended his hand out. “My name is Tim. What’s yours?”

“C-Conner,” Kon stammered, hastily shaking his hand. The touch was electrifying and made the heat in his stomach curl in delight at the contact. “Kon for short.”

He did not know why he felt the need to tell Tim that. Only close friends and relatives called him that.

Tim smiled. “Kon,” he said and Kon shivered despite the warm September weather. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” said Kon. Verrrrry nice, said his brain and Kon was too entranced to tell himself to shut up again.

They stood there, staring for a long time before Tim cleared his throat. “Well, uhh…” he said, glancing down at their hands, which Kon only realized he was still holding. He flushed and quickly let go. Tim smiled. “Well, thanks again, Kon. I guess… I guess I’ll get going now.”

“It’s no problem,” said Kon, smiling as Tim got into his car. “I was happy to help.”

“Take care,” said Tim from the open window, “Kon”

Kon was never going to get over how much he enjoyed hearing Tim say his name.

“Yeah…” he murmured as Tim drove onward until his car finally disappeared into the distance, a moving silver blur that Kon knew he’d never see again. “You too… Tim.”

******

Oh shit, he thought as he drove quickly towards the school. It was already passed 3:00, the time Grace got out of school. I’m going to be late!

After showing up to work almost a two hours late, his boss made him work over time to make up for the hour he spent gaping after that silver Corolla. All day Kon had tried to put Tim out of his mind, but he was there—like a brand or a scar—torturing Kon with the memory of his smile, his voice and his touch. He just hoped Tim didn’t somehow crop back into his dreams later tonight. That would definitely not lead to a good night’s sleep.

As he pulled into the school’s parking lot, he saw that Grace was already outside waiting for him. The moment he got out of the car, she barreled right into his arms, her smile as contagious as ever.

“Hey, baby, sorry I’m late,” said Kon, holding her close. “Did you have a good day at school?”

“Yes!” she all but cried. She was a buzzing ball of energy now. “I had so much fun, Daddy! Today, we did finger painting and sang songs like ‘Oh McDonald had a Farm’ and Rufus and I got to play on the swings after lunch!”

“That’s great, sweetheart,” said Kon as he took her backback and hoisted it onto his shoulder while he held Grace’s hand in his other one. “You can tell me all about it when we get home.”

“Mr. Drake showed me how to draw a lion and a giraffe,” she prattled on excitedly. “And he’s really good at telling stories and baking. He made us a glass of warm milk and cookies before nap time.”

“Mr. Drake?” said Kon, never having heard of the name before. Maybe he was another staff like Stephanie Brown was.

“Oh! Yes, he showed up before recess,” said Grace. “I really like him, Daddy!” Then she gasped and tugged back on his hand. “You should meet him!”

“Uhh… Grace, can I meet him tomorrow?” said Kon. “Daddy’s a bit tired from work.” And other things, said the bitter part of his brain.

“Daaaadddyyyy,” said Grace in that needling tone of hers that always made Kon give in. “Oh, please, Daddy? Oh, please, oh please, oh please! It won’t take long! He’s inside right now!” Now she was giving him the puppy-dog look and Kon knew he was done for.

“Oh fine,” he sighed, not really that disappointed when Grace looked that happy.

She jumped up in the air and squealed, “Yaaay!” before taking him by the hand again and dragging him back inside. When they reached the foot of the classroom, Grace dropped his hand. “You wait here and I’ll go get him, okay?”

“Alright, alright,” said Kon and she disappeared back inside, his voice echoing, “Mr. Drake! Mr. Drake!” along the halls.

Kon chuckled and turned his eyes outside again. Despite having Grace around again, he was still feeling oddly empty. His mind automatically conjured up an image of Tim in his mind and the emptiness magnified.

This is ridiculous, he thought, trying to shrug off his depression. He’d only met the man once. There was no way he could be this hung up on the guy after that brief encounter. It wasn’t like he was going to see Tim again anyway.

Besides, he added, rather solemnly, glancing at his left hand where his fourth finger itched in the absence of something he had not worn in almost a year. There was no way he could just forget now.

“Daddy, Daddy!” said Grace, coming back.

Kon quickly pulled himself together, putting on a wide smile before turning around. His smile fell off immediately at who he saw there.

The same tousled hair, the same red top and the same pair of deep blue eyes that Kon was, once again, lost to.

“Tim,” he said, finding it difficult to breathe all of a sudden.

“Kon,” said Tim, looking just as surprised.

“Daddy, this is Mr. Drake!” said Grace between the two of them, beaming. “Mr. Drake, this is my dad!”

And Kon felt his mind suddenly implode from the realization that holy shit, Tim Drake was his daughter’s kindergarten teacher.